About Me

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

From Way Back When to Now....Who Would Have Ever Thought?

"Way back when" in 1993, my sons and I traveled from our home near Wibaux, Montana to El Paso, Texas. I look back and have to grin at the memory of how amazed I was that I could use my ATM card from our little bank in Wibaux anywhere from Montana to Texas and immediately have my bank balance on the receipt. When a few years later, we first got on-line with our computer, I again was amazed with all of the information available twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week right there at my fingertips! I have embraced using a computer for fun and work.

I like to say that the best two inventions in my lifetime have been the computer and the digital camera. Using the two in tandem to record my life and world in photos has almost become an obsession.

I love to visit with people......I love to talk! I seem to take after my mom's side of the family, especially my grandpa. I do think part of it is living in a rural area and also being located in the part of the U.S. that we are. I am blessed to have friends scattered all over the world. Thanks to the internet, it is so easy to stay in contact with them, either thru email, various groups we belong to, Facebook and blogging. Not only have I been able to stay connected with those friends, but also to reconnect with "kids" I knew from kindergarten and grade school.

Blogging has really opened up a world of new friends for me! I have made friends with some very talented, intelligent people with the same interests that I have. Some others have introduced me to new interests and places. While some live across the country or in Canada, or elsewhere, some have turned out to be quite close-by.

Over the past few months, have gotten acquainted thru Sunday Stills photo challenge someone from fairly close to where I live. Between You, Me and the Fence Post is the blog belonging to Sarah Johnson. She is a great photographer and writer. She and her husband drive a truck hauling various agricultural products all over the U.S. Sarah shares their travels on her blog complete with some super photos. She also writes of her dogs and her home in Montana. Like me she loves our little corner of the world.Her in-laws ranch about two hours away from us. Sarah and her husband plan on moving in the near future, closer to her in-laws, which means closer to where we live.

I had told Sarah that if they ever were passing thru and had time I would like to meet her and her husband and get to visit for a bit. This past Sunday, in spite of a healthy dose of cold and snow, Sarah and her husband, Malcom met us in Wibaux, Montana for supper. It was so much fun to get acquainted with them! My husband, Doug, enjoyed it as much as I did! Even though there is some age difference between those Johnsons and these Johnsons, had lots to talk about. Sarah and I talked dogs and horses. Doug and Malcom covered trucking and we all talking ranching and other things. I guess I never felt like we were strangers! The time passed way too quickly that evening. I hope it will become a regular occurrence for us to visit with them in person and for Sarah and I to be able to go horseback riding.

I'll put the invitation out for my other on-line blogging friends, the door is always open for you at our place. Who would have thought a few short years ago how our world and friendships would expand!

I recently had the opportunity to meet a blogging friend who was on holiday from Germany to her local home town in the states. She contacted me before she ever left Europe to see if it was possible to come visit my farm. I replied in the affirmative and we actually meet.

I must admit I had some trepidation about it. I have had the experience of meeting an acquataince from online that did not turn out well. I'd read other bloggers accounts of successful meetings or I probably wouldn't have even considered the meeting.

It turned out much as you described. Right from the first moment it was like we had always known each other. I am grateful I got to spend some time with her and I think I won't be nearly as concerned about meeting other blogging friends in the future.